Companies & CEOs
88 year-old retailer BHS is now fully closed - 08/29/2016
Last 22 stores of major British retail chain BHS closed this Sunday after 88 years of presence in the market. BHS network, numbered 164 department store, in April passed under temporary management of consulting firm Duff & Phelps because of debts. Currently, the company is being wound up, more than 11 thousand employees were dismissed. Potential buyers were scared off by a "hole" of 571...
Uber had $1,2 bln losses in the first six months of 2016 - 08/26/2016
Uber lost $ 1.2 billion in the first half of 2016. The main item of expenditure was payments to drivers. Uber Technologies, creator of the taxi service, suffered losses of at least US $ 1.2 billion in the first half of 2016, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. Uber Technologies is not a public company, yet discloses its performance every three months during a...
RBS to its foreign clients: Hurry up and find another bank - 08/25/2016
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) asked 3 thousand users of the bank’s global transaction banking services to hurry up with search for other credit institutions. RBS has sent an appeal to customers of branches outside the UK and Ireland, and warned that current accounts, cash management and settlement of international trade transactions will not be available after 31 December. The report...
McDonald's recalls Happy Meal fitness trackers - 08/24/2016
Fast food restaurants chain McDonald's withdrew Happy Meal fitness tracers in the US and Canada. This decision is explained by complaints about appearance of burns on children’s wrists, left by the device. According to the device’s users, the very idea McDonald's health-project was doomed to failure from the beginning. The popular American fast food chain announced new happy meal toys in...
FT: French government sheltered Renault from Dieselgate - 08/23/2016
Last October, France established a special government commission to study French cars in connection with a scandal around Volkswagen Group. Today, The Financial Times referred to its members saying that Renault SA could also use a special software for hiding real level of harmful emissions into the atmosphere. At the same time, the newspaper sources, the French government deliberately concealed...
US regulators approved ChemChina-Syngenta deal - 08/22/2016
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved a proposition of China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) to buy Swiss chemical company Syngenta AG. In February, ChemChina agreed to buy Swiss Syngenta at $ 465 per common share. By that time, total sum reached more than $ 43 billion. The deal may become the largest foreign takeover made by a Chinese company....
Glencore's investors want Glasenberg to stay away from acquisitions - 08/18/2016
A year ago, Glencore was on the verge of crisis. Yet, the company managed to improve the situation through debt reduction, asset sale and thanks to increase in prices for raw material. Now, shareholders of the mining and trading company hope that its CEO Ivan Glasenberg would not start buying assets again. Glasenberg turned Glencore from commodity trader in one of the world's largest mining...
Uber to sue London authorities over English exams - 08/18/2016
The British division of Uber announced its intention to sue the Department of Transport in London. The latter wants all private taxi drivers from non-English speaking countries to have compulsorily taken an exam for English proficiency by October. Uber said that a court should verify legitimacy of such claims, which may damage the company's business. Since the beginning of this year, the London...
Linde, Praxair to create the world's largest industrial gas manufacturer - 08/16/2016
American Praxair is in talks to merge with German company Linde. The transaction, which would continue surge of consolidations in the sector, could result in creation of the world's largest supplier of industrial gases. Details of the talks are not known. At that, one of the sources warned that the negotiations may end up in vain. Even if the parties agree on merger terms, the transaction can be...
SEC to pay $100 mln to whistleblowers - 08/11/2016
State Street and BNY Mellon have already paid more than $ 1.2 billion on settlement agreements with the US government. In July, State Street agreed to pay $ 530 million to settle charges in purchase of currency for customers at inflated rates. Much of this sum will go to the SEC and the US Department of Justice, writes the WSJ. BNY Mellon has agreed to pay $ 714 million back in 2015. Then, the...